The McAllen Heritage Center | McAllen Texas History

Vaquero: Genesis of the Texas Cowboy features photographs with bilingual narrative text that reveal the muscle, sweat, and drama that went into roping a calf in thick brush or breaking a wild horse in the saddle.

Vaquero is an exhibition created by the Wittliff Collections at the Alkek Library, Texas State University, presented in partnership with Humanities Texas, the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

THANK YOU EVERYONE! Our 2020 Chuckwagon was another huge success.

We look forward to our 2021 Event and hope you will support us once againi! Thank you to our board members for their help selling tickets and especially our top sellers: Nedra Kinerk, Elva Cerda and Spud Brown!! Thank you to TONY ROMA'S McAllen for hosting us and doing a fabulous job once again!!

Among our many accomplishments since we opened our doors in 2008, we continue to expand our exhibits about McAllen's colorful history, as well as increase inventory in our museum gift shop- La Tiendita which will be going online in early 2021! Any items purchased will directly benefit the museum! Our annual fund-raiser "Chuckwagon Dinner under the Stars" held in spring used to be held at the museum for many years. In 2014 we moved the event off-sitdue to the tremendous attendance and support we received over the years. The event partnered with Tony Roma's McAllen stores where our supporters continue to enjoy the mouth-watering steak dinner and trimmings to benefit our museum. We are also founding exhibitors of McAllen's grand folklife festival: "PalmFest Folklife Celebration" since 2006 now known as Fiesta de Palmas and now held the third weekend of September at our beautiful McAllen Convention Center. MHC offer children's crafts and book nook, our educational "Traveling Trunks" program, group tours, special presentations, demonstrations and musical concerts, Saturday movies and refreshments for visitors and ongoing projects are always under development. Finally, we are proud to have established a rotating art show "The Artist's Corner" to highlight the work of our local talent at the museum. In 2021, we will work diligently to offer the ORAL HISTORY video production so if you are interested in participating, complete the application located on our website and submit it soon!

PLEASE NOTE: At present, due to COVID19, we have discontinued various programs, are not hosting tours and field trips. Our Kids Book Nook and coloring area is closed and we have discontinued our refreshments table for our visitors! We are also operating on a limited based from Wednesday through Friday from 1pm to 5pm until further notice.

We invite you to come enjoy the museum and please wear your FACE MASK. Thank you to the many visitors have walked through our doors to enjoy exhibits and learning about McAllen's past. We look forward to the future as work diligently to continue to fulfill our mission.

LA TIENDITA- MHC store is going online soon!!

LA TIENDITA MHC store is adding new inventory and going ONLINE SOON! Find fun McAllen souvenirs and other historical items such as the 100 years of McAllen "Leading the Way" coffee table hardcover book, history of architecture, medicine and the citrus industry. Also MHC tees, MHC book page markers, McAllen 1911 coffee mugs, magnets, postcards, coasters, 100 year Centennial pins, Christmas ornaments plus new items that will be added. Once online, we will be able to ship the items to you upon payment which we will be able to accept via Paypal!

We hope to open soon but for now, find many McAllen items in our store! More information once the store is online on our museum website will be posted here!

MHC remodeling project completed November, 2019!

We are very pleased to announce that our remodeling project was completed in early November and MHC re-opened to the public on November 20th.

Construction started on August 1, 2019 and included demolition of the affected areas of the building. We now have expanded display and meeting space, new men's and women's restrooms and remodeled kitchen area with many other improvements completed in the building.

We are very proud of the museum facility that represents both our museum's mission and the city's contribution towards historic preservation. The city's commitment of this renovation project made possible through funding obtained from the Development Corporation of McAllen for the landmark building and their ongoing support of the MHC is commendable and appreciated.

Thank you everyone for your support of the McAllen Heritage Center- museum of history and culture. We invite you to come visit us soon and especially during this festive holiday season. There is limited free parking for visitors available in the rear lot. Free admission however door donations are accepted.

Best regards, Elva M. Cerda

The MHC Kids Book Nook has been a big success with our younger visitors and parents alike! The area was developed several years ago in the museum as a way to advocate for literacy and teaching kids love of reading! The museum will give a book to any child that wishes to take one home! The Book Nook depends on donations of new or gently used books from the community to keep the book cases full and keep this program active and thriving. The children's activity area also offers Saturday coloring projects, art classes and other activities as available. Please check our facebook announcements and website for more information. Call the museum on any other special activities for kids! If you wish to make a book donation, we welcome you to do so during our hours of operation.

MHC had a productive weekend hosting our display table at the McAllen Library Genealogy Symposium on Saturday, April 1st. Many visitors enjoyed our seeing McAllen historical photos and artifacts and learning about our downtown museum location! Special kudos to Spud and Jan Brown for taking the items and setting up along with Nedra who assisted at the event. (see more photos on our facebook page)

Vaquero: Genesis of the Texas Cowboy exhibit coming soon!

THANK YOU EVERYONE! Our 2020 Chuckwagon was another huge success.